Holly Ferguson knew when she started cutting hair 10 years ago that she eventually wanted to open her own salon. She finally achieved that in March, when she opened Classic Image Men’s Salon in downtown Scottsbluff. The key to turning her dream into a reality, she said, was a life-changing trip she took to Israel in 2020.
JEFF FIELDER Editor
SCOTTSBLUFF – When Holly Ferguson went to cosmetology school 10 years ago, she knew she wanted to open her own salon someday.
She never felt the confidence to do that, though, until January 2020. That’s when she took a trip to Israel that changed her life forever.
“That trip really brought me closer to God, and in doing so, that completely changed how I looked at life and how I looked at myself,” she said. “I recommitted myself to Jesus and promised Him that I would start living my life for Him. In doing so, the things I thought were fun and enjoyable were no longer enjoyable. He brought me back on my knees to glorify Him again. God knew I needed to go [to Israel], so he forced the opportunity on to me so I could change and be the person he needs me to be.”
Before the trip to Israel, Ferguson said she was unsure about her ability to start her own salon business. But after going to Israel – and drawing closer to God – she realized she had what it took to run a business.
“That trip gave me more confidence in my skills, and it gave me the confidence to finally open my own salon,” she said. “It was amazing because once I truly started living my life for God instead of for myself, all my worries and doubts went away, and it was like God was telling me, ‘Now is the time to do this.’”
After that trip, the 28-year-old Ferguson, who graduated from Gering High School in 2012, was determined to open a hair salon in the area where she grew up. But for a while, she didn’t know if that was going to open.
Ferguson, with help from her mom, Cheryl, started looking for a place to open her salon in the summer of 2021. For the next few months, Ferguson checked out a number of vacant locations in the Scottsbluff/Gering area, but nothing seemed to fit. She started growing a little frustrated.
“It seemed like we kept running into roadblocks because either the price wasn’t right, the location wasn’t the right, the building didn’t have the square footage I needed, or the water wasn’t in the location where I needed it to be,” she said. “It got to a point where I thought I might have to move to a different city – like Omaha – to open my own business.”
Not long after that, though, Ferguson stumbled across a golden opportunity. One day in late October 2021 while she was shopping at Pout, a women’s boutique in downtown Scottsbluff, Ferguson struck up a conversation with the owner, whom she had known for quite some time.
“She asked me how things were going, and I told her that I was trying to open a salon,” Ferguson said. “She then told me about the spot next door to them that was open for rent. I got in touch with the owner, and that same day my mom and I went to look at it. It seemed like the perfect place for me, so I went for it.”
Ferguson couldn’t believe how quickly her outlook had changed.
“Literally, when I was ready to give up on opening a salon here in Scottsbluff, this opportunity fell into my lap,” she said. “I was like, ‘Wow, God is good.’”
Ferguson also thanked her mom for her strong support.
“She’s such an inspiration to me because she has grown a huge, successful business all on her own without a college degree. She is a real example of a strong, successful, independent woman,” Ferguson said. “I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t have her in my life to cheer me on and support me. God really blessed me when He chose my mother. I’m so grateful to have her experience and knowledge in business, and I hope I’m just as successful as she is.”
Although Ferguson has nine years of experience as a stylist for both men and women, she decided she wanted to open a salon strictly for men. The reason, she said, is that she felt like a men’s salon was needed in the Scottsbluff/Gering area.
“There’s so many salons here that are similar, so I thought opening a barbershop would be really good for our community,” she said. “There’s not much for men around here that focuses on their type of hair and what they like.”
Even before she opened her salon, which she named Classic Image Men’s Salon, Ferguson had lots of experience cutting men’s hair. In fact, before she moved back to Scottsbluff in May 2020, she had been working for a year and a half at a popular barbershop in Omaha.
“I had been Googling job openings in the Lincoln/Omaha areas, and one of the first places I saw was that barbershop,” she said. “I got ahold of them, and they interviewed me, and then about a week later, I visited the salon to see if it would be a good fit for me. It was, so I decided to start working there.”
Working at that barbershop, she said, was enjoyable, and it also provided her with a valuable learning experience.
“It was nice because I learned so much more about men’s cutting than what I had previously learned in school,” said Ferguson, who graduated from the College of Hair Design in Lincoln in 2013. “It was the first job I had in a salon where I was working with other men, so that gave me a chance to learn their techniques. The way I cut men’s hair now is completely different compared to how I used to cut men’s hair. I feel like my skills improved so much by working there.”
Ferguson also enjoyed gaining skills and experience of doing other men’s services, such as waxing for ears, nose and eyebrows; doing massages for the neck and scalp; using face steamers and hot towels; doing gray blending; trimming beards and mustaches; and even performing scalp treatments, which can help solve issues related to dandruff.
“At the barbershop I worked at, it was so busy because men were coming in for all those different services,” she said. “I knew I wanted to offer those services here in Scottsbluff, too.”
After signing the rental agreement in October 2021 for the building at 12 East 17th Street in downtown Scottsbluff, Ferguson spent the next four months getting her salon ready to open. She enjoyed that time period.
“A lot of people say that opening a business is really stressful and not fun, but that wasn’t the case for me,” she said. “I found it to be super easy and fun, and I think the reason why was because I truly left it up to God to tell me what to do and when to do it.”
Ferguson said her salon’s appearance is exactly what she wanted it to look like.
“I wanted it to have that modern, big city feel to it,” she said. “I wanted to create an environment where guys would feel relaxed while getting great customer service.”
Ferguson opened her business on Saturday, March 5. It was a moment she’ll never forget.
“It was the most freeing experience I’ve ever had, knowing that I was in charge of every detail,” she said. “It felt amazing to be able to open the door for the first time to my business.”
Ferguson said she didn’t advertise her new business much before she opened, for she wanted to ease into things and make sure she had everything running smoothly before she got too busy. The first week she was open, though, she was way busier than she expected to be.
“I wasn’t expecting to get the clients I did right off the bat,” she said. “Some people had been hearing about what I was doing, and they got excited about it, and they started telling a lot of their friends about it. I think that’s why I’ve been pretty busy already. A lot of my clients have told me they like that this is totally different compared to what they’ve been used to. A lot of them have said, ‘We’ve needed a place like this here.’ Hearing them say that kind of gave me confirmation that what I’m doing really is unique and desired, and it made me feel like this will indeed be successful.”
Although being a business owner can be stressful, Ferguson said she actually feels less stress now than she did before she became an owner.
“I’m glad I get to be in charge of every little detail,” she said. “If something needs added, changed or fixed, I can do it; I don’t have to wait for anybody else to do something about it. For example, at a previous salon I worked at, there was a client who was overcharged. When I noticed it, I immediately told my bosses about it. I said, ‘He paid way too much for his service.’ But my bosses said, ‘Well, did he say anything about it?’ I said, ‘No, I don’t think he realized he was overcharged.’ They then said, ‘We’ll, we won’t worry about it unless he comes back.’ That really frustrated me. Now, though, I get to handle every part of customer service. I get to treat my clients the way they should be treated, and because of that, I feel completely stress free.”
Ferguson said she’s designed her men’s salon to be as customer friendly and as customer pleasing as possible. As an example, she does two shampoos with each haircut – one before the cut and one after it.
“I don’t want people leaving here with hair all over themselves,” she said. “I want my clients to know that they can come here to get a haircut, and they’ll be able to go right back to work afterward if they need to. They won’t have to go home and take a shower to get all the hair off.”
Ferguson has also designed her salon to be quite convenient for clients in the way of scheduling. People may schedule their own appointments by visiting the website www.vagaro.com/classicimage1.
“I feel like online scheduling makes it so convenient for people. They can jump on there any time, see what openings I have, and then make an appointment that works best for them,” she said. “Then before a scheduled haircut, my client will get a reminder sent to them about their appointment.”
Ferguson, who also takes walk-ins, is currently offering a grand opening special in which all men’s haircuts are only $20 through May 15. The regular price is $25.
Ferguson also offers haircuts for boys and teenagers. Children age 6 and under are $10; kids ages 7-12 are $15; and boys ages 13 to college age are $18.
Reflecting on what’s happened in the last few months, Ferguson said she’s grateful for how her business has come together. She said she couldn’t be any happier, for she’s living her dream as a business owner.
“This is what I’ve always wanted, but for a while, I didn’t know if it [owning her own business] would ever happen,” she said. “I’m glad it finally did happen, though, thanks to God. It feels really cool to be in this position right now.”
NOTES: Classic Image Men’s Salon is located at 12 East 17th St. in downtown Scottsbluff. It’s hours are Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. … Classic Image Men’s Salon offers several discounts, including 20 percent off for new clients. Military members and first responders receive 15 percent off, and there’s also a discount for referrals.
